


The Savior Complex

by MackNHornets



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, HeroHajime, M/M, Mastermind Enoshima Junko, MyHeroAu, Possible Smut (will warn), Slow Burn, VillianNagito, bnha - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29146005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MackNHornets/pseuds/MackNHornets
Summary: “Quit with the antihero act and fight me like the villain you are,” he said, pushing Nagito against the wall and effectively pinning him.“The world isn’t as black and white as you want to believe and I know you know that,”----------Hajime Hinata, or better known as Izuru Kamakura, is considered one of the most powerful modern-day hero. With a quirk like Mimic, it's hard not to avoid the title. But with UA being targeted by a villian group, the number one hero finds himself in a temporary teaching position while also being expected to continue his pro-hero work. Neither his coworkers or his nemesis, Ko, are making it easy on him in the slightest.Enemies to Lovers filled with as much fluff as possible! Happy Ending as always :)Updates every Monday!
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 46
Kudos: 99





	1. Flames

He adored him.  
The way his velvet eyes would widen with fear every time Nagito would get close enough to land a blow sent chills down his spine. Nagito would never hit him, of course. He wanted no harm to come to his favorite hero. His opponent, on the other hand, did not hold the same sentiments.

“Stop holding back you idiot!” He shouted, charging Nagito with his fist pulled back into a punch. Nagito smiled graciously, holding his arms up as if he was going to accept the hit. However, in the last moment, he lept backwards, causing the hero to stumble forwards like a fool. This only angered him even more.

“I’m not holding back, Izuru,” Nagito cooed, “I simply don't want to harm you is all.” He saw the hero snarl. He straightened his posture as he began to pull his long black hair back into a ponytail, trying it off to keep it out of his face. Things were getting rather serious. Nagito was a bit aloof, admiring the hero as he did this simple task. What he would give to run his fingers through his hair, it looked so delicate. His daydreaming was interrupted by a swift kick to his torso, sending him backwards into the already crumbling wall. Pain hummed throughout his limbs. He groaned and lifted his head just in time to see the hero lift his foot, pushing it into Nagito’s chest forcefully.

“What gives you the right to take these people hostage?” He hissed, digging his heel into Nagito’s sternum. Nagito looked up at him, that iconic smile finding its way onto his face. Every so slightly, Nagito lifted his hand to the hero’s ankle. He glanced over to the group of people through his mask. They were tied and gagged, all his handy work.

“They’re criminals. They deserve to burn down in this building, don’t you think?” Nagito’s fingers delicately played with the hero’s shoelaces, tangling them in between his slender fingers in a flirting manner. The hero paid no mind to this, only pressing his heel further into Nagito’s chest.

You’re a criminal too, Ko,” he seethed. Nagito ignored being called a criminal, something he would usually be peeved about. Instead, he was distracted by the pure rage on the hero's face. It was entertaining, to say the least. He didn’t even notice the sparks ignite from his fingertips or the fact that they caught the hero’s shoelaces on fire before it was too late. Again, those velvet eyes widened in fear and he jumped back. Nagito watched curiously as the hero panicked, stomping his foot on the ground in an effort to stop the flames. They only spread more.

“Use your jacket,” Nagito said casually. Izuru shot him a glare before shedding himself of the blazer that accompanied his hero uniform. With brisk movements, he put it over his shoe, patting it in an effort to put out the fire. Nagito stood up, clapping his hands together in delight. 

“Good job! Apologies for that, it was unintentional,” Nagito said. Within an instant, a gloved hand had wrapped itself around his neck, squeezing tightly. 

Nagito smiled widely. “At least take me out to dinner first before we get this serious,” he said in an airy voice. The hero narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip. Nagito gasped, finally feeling the effects of the restraint as his vision grew dizzy. 

“Okay, okay. It seems you're really serious this time,” he said, lifting his hand to Izuru’s wrist. He saw Izuru flinch, expecting flames to be accompanied with his hand. Nagtio frowned, upset that Izuru thought he would harm him intentionally.

“Quit with the antihero act and fight me like the villain you are,” he said, pushing Nagito against the wall and effectively pinning him. 

“The world isn’t as black and white as you want to believe and I know you know that,” Nagito said in a serious tone. His palm began heating up, causing panic to flood Izuru’s eyes. He could see the conflict, let him go or risk burning his wrist? Ko felt disappointment when the hand on his neck fell. Was Izuru giving up that easily? 

“I always dread fighting you. Your philosophical talks are annoying,” he pulled his fist back quickly. Nagito had no time to react. He shut his eyes quickly, awaiting the punch. But, it never came. Instead, he heard a cracking noise, followed by what sounded like an avalanche. And then, he felt cool air on his back. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Izuru glaring at him. 

“Leave before I change my mind and just kill you,” he said harshly.

Nagito smiled, his heart feeling warm. “I’ll see you soon!”

\----------

Hajime ran his hands through his hair, sighing heavily. He rested his head against the cool brick, allowing his disguise to dissipate, revealing the normal brown haired boy. Most heroes didn’t use disguise, opting to enjoy the fame in and out of battle. Hajime was different, however. He rather enjoyed living a normal life outside of his work. If he had the choice, he would trade his quirk for normalcy anyday. But, the hero agency would never allow that. To be able to mimic any power from just a simple touch, it was just too good to be true. Hajime sighed heavily, his heart still beating in his chest. He was so pissed at himself for allowing Ko to get away without a proper fight. But, something about what he had said resonated with him. He always knew Ko wasn’t technically a bad person but, he wasn’t a good person either. There was no room for a grey area in this society, however. You were either good or bad, no in between. At least, that’s what everyone believed.

“Hajime!” A voice shouted. Hajime jumped and glanced towards the opening of the alley. His good friend, Chiaki, was standing at the entrance. Her hands were tugging at her backpack as she gave him a curious look. 

“Ah, hey Chiaki,” he said, standing up. Chiaki was one of the only people who knew about Hajime’s double life. She must have seen the news and come to see him. “Are you okay?” Chiaki asked in a monotone voice. 

Hajime nodded, giving a meak smile. “Just a rough fight with Ko but, I’m okay,” he said, walking over to join her. “

Kaz and Fuyujiko wanted to grab some drinks tonight, are you up for it?” She asked. Hajime took a second to think about it. He was drained from the fight but hanging out with his roommates outside of their apartment was appealing. 

“Sure, that sounds nice actually,” he said, tightening his tie. Getting drunk actually sounded very nice. That sentiment did not last till the morning, however. 

Hajime tried his best to play off his head-pounding headache as he entered work. He didn’t usually do business inside the Hero Agency HQ but, the president had called in him for a short meeting. And it just so happened to be on the morning of the one night he decided to get heavily drunk. 

“Hinata, so glad you could make it,” Kirigiri said as he entered the conference room. Immediately, Hajime was put off. Sitting next to Jin Kirigiri was his daughter, Kyoko Kirigiri was the new principal of UA. And next to her sat the vice principal, Makoto Naegi. 

“Good morning,” Hajime greeted quietly as he sat down.

“I’m sure you’re acquainted with my daughter, Kyoko,” Jin continued. 

“Yes, we’ve met on occasion,” Kyoko said, “Pleasure to see you again, Kamakura.”

“Ah, just call me Hinata please,” Hajime said, scratching the back of his neck. He wasn’t too fond of people calling him by his hero name when he wasn’t working. 

“So, Hinata, there's a reason we want to talk to you today,” Jin said.

“I’m sure you’re aware but, UA has been targeted by a group of villains recently. We’ve had to have several lockdowns over the course of a month due to their threats. While we have many pro heroes working as teachers, it’s not enough,” Kyoko said. As she went on, Hajime increasingly grew nervous. He had a hunch on what she was about to ask him, 

“We would be honored to have you step in and teach classes while also being prepared to defend the students if we come under attack.” 

Yep, he was right. 

Hajime dreaded high school. The idea of having to go back to one, even for teaching, was absolutely dreadful. 

“I don't even have a teaching degree,” Hajime said, trying to think of an excuse. 

“We will look past it. This is only temporary, Hinata. The class you will be teaching will be over improving quirks, something that is suited for Mimic,” Naegi piped up. Hajime glanced over at him and Naegi shot him a reassuring smile. He felt as though his fate was already sealed.

“Do I have much of a choice in this matter?” Hajime said with a sigh. 

“While we did ask, it’s strongly urged you take this opportunity,” Jin said. Jin and Kyoko gave him a blank yet expecting stare while Makota looked on with that reassuring smile. Hajime let out another sigh and leaned back in his chair. 

“Fine, I’ll do it,” 

“Thank you, Hinata. You start tomorrow,”

“What?!” “We don’t have much time to waste. Plus the new semester begins tomorrow,” Kyoko said as she stood. 

“See you tomorrow, Hinata!” Makoto said cheerily as he followed Kyoko out. 

Hajime already knew it was going to be a rough few months but, he wasn’t all prepared for what was in store for him at UA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ko's villain disguise looks a lot like his beta design with the zip-up hood if anyone was curious! That's why Hajime won't be able to recognize him. Also he's a himbo.


	2. Traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime's first day teaching the heathens

Hajime stood in the training room, wringing his hands nervously. He had arrived recently and was now just awaiting his first class. The training room was rather large, sporting a variety of obstacles that could test a quirk. At one end, a wall of mirrors reflected the room and his presence. It always caught him off guard when he saw himself as Izuru Kamakura. His hair was unreasonably long, almost reaching his calves and red eyes pierced through the pieces of hair that fell indignantly in his face. He hated his appearance when he was like this but, no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it, it always activated when he used his quirk.

"Mr. Kamakura?” A voice asked from the entrance of the training center. He jumped and looked over his shoulder to see a teacher giving him a curious look. The teacher was rather angelic, soft white hair pulled into a ponytail and pale skin that almost seemed to glow. Hajime could practically feel a blush creeping up his neck.

“H-How can I help you?” Hajime asked. The man smiled.  
“I’m Komaeda, your first class’s homeroom teacher. I escorted them here since I don't have a first hour,” the man said. Hajime didn’t even notice the students surrounding the teacher, looking at Hajime with nervous glances. His appearance must have been a bit intimidating.

“ Ah, come on in then,” Hajime said, turning his full body to the entrance. Komaeda smiled and escorted his class to the middle of the training room to meet Hajime.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kamakura,” Komaeda said once they were closer, “I’ve always been a huge fan of pro-heroes.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Komaeda,” Izuru said with a small smile, holding out his hand. Komaeda’s smile faltered as he glanced down at Hajime’s hand. Upon seeing it that Hajime was wearing gloves, he relaxed and took his hand, quickly replacing his hand. Hajime brushed off his strange reaction. Many people described his quirk as invasive. Being able to mimic someone's quirk with just a touch did tend to make people uncomfortable so Hajime often wore gloves out of respect.

Hajime turned his attention to the class in front of him, addressing them and introducing himself. Many of them relaxed as the class went on when they saw Hajime’s personality didn’t fit the Izuru Kamakura appearance in the slightest. Komaeda hung out in the back, watching his class fondly as they discussed their quirks and showed off to Hajime. They were all very talented and well skilled with their quirks already. Hajime couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous at how natural they were already. They grew to like Hajime quickly, however. Asking him stories about being a pro-hero and what it was like working for the hero agency. Some even offered up their quirk for Hajime to mimic but he refused, saying they would get to that in later classes. It went by rather quickly and soon enough, the class bell rang. The students dispersed quickly, waving goodbye to Komaeda and Hajime as they ran out of the building.

“They’re absolute heathens but you learn to love them,” Komaeda said, his eyes lingering on the doorway. Hajime chuckled.

“They seem like nice enough kids. They’re already so skilled, I’m scared I won’t have anything to teach them….” Hajime said.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Komeada turned his head to Hajime, his green-greys staring at him widley, "Afterall, you’re really here to protect the school, right?”

“I suppose so,” Hajime said, returning Komaeda’s gaze, “Are the attacks so bad that it warrants me being here, though?”

“They have gotten fairly scary. Some even believe there's a traitor among us,” Komaeda said solemnly, turning his head back to the entrance. Hajime stared at his side-profile, too caught up in how perfect it was to register what Komaeda had said.

“Traitor?” Hajime asked, snapping out of his daze, “Do they even know the group's leader?”

“They do,” Komaeda said, “They’re keeping it hush however.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“Yes….her name is Junko Enoshima,” Komaeda’s voice was trailing off into a whisper, his gaze still fixated on the entrance in a dazed-like state. Hajime frowned. He was so focused on Komaeda that he didn’t notice the disguise of Izuru Kamakura falling from being unused, Hajime’s regular appearance taking its place. Komaeda’s eyes drifted lazily over to Hajime, then widened. Hajime gave him a confused look then caught his appearance in the mirror on the wall being Komaeda.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry to surprise you,” he muttered, “I guess not a lot of people know that I don’t look like Izuru all the time. This is what I usually look like when I’m not using Mimic.” He shifted under Komaeda’s uncomfortable gaze, feeling an awkward tension set in.

“I...I like your haircut,” Komadea finally spoke in a playful tone, a small smile spreading across his face. Hajime felt a blush on his face.

“I-I should probably get ready for my next class,” he said, averting eye contact. Komaeda nodded.

“I’ll see you around the, Mr. Komakura!” He called out, exiting the room as he did so.

\----------

Hajime entered the house, discarding his keys in a tray near the door. He could smell something savory being cooked as he shrugged off his jacket. It put him into a lull, imaging what could have been awaiting him in the kitchen.

“Hajime!” A voice shouted, jerking him from his daydream. He had no time to react before he was pulled into a hug, being lifted off the ground in the process. The smell of grease and gas filled his nose, a strong contrast to the heavenly scent he smelt when he entered the home.

“Kaz! Let me go dude!” He said, shoving himself off the pink-haired man. He beamed nonetheless, acting like a dog when his owner returned home.

“I missed you bro!” He yelled, “Fuyuhiko is making us some bomb dinner right now!” Despite being a hard-shelled, foul-mouthed, hot head, Fuyuhiko had a lot of soft qualities about him. He was a skilled cook, often making dinner for them when they didn’t eat out. He was also a talented sewer surprisingly, something Peko had taught him. Whenever Hajime would tear his suit, Fuyuhiko would complain and grumble but still patch it up for him like new. He was also a skilled medic when Hajime didn’t want to bother going to the hospital. They considered him the housewife among their friend group but they would never say that outloud out of fear of him beating them up.

“Hey Hajime,” Chiaka greeted from the couch as Kaz and Hajime rounded the corner of the fourier. Kaz detached himself from Hajime’s hip and took a running leap at the couch, landing on it with a thud. The only reaction Chiaki gave was a slow blink before she turned back to Hajime.

“We were wanting to watch a movie tonight. Any suggestions?” She asked. Hajime shrugged.

“As long as it isn’t the Wizard of Monomi, I’m okay with whatever,” Hajime said as he took a seat at a bar stool. Everyone in the room shuddered, remembering the horrible movie they had rented as a joke. Their kitchen was open to the living room, allowing him to still see Kaz and Chiaki while also looking to see what Fuyuhiko was cooking. He was busy behind the counter, working meticulously over the stove. Hajime knew if he asked him, he would get a scowl and something along the lines of, “You’ll find out when it’s done, idiot.”

“Let's watch Megamind!” Kaz shouted.

“You only like that movie for all the gadgets Megamind has,” Chiaki said.

“They’re so cool though! And it’s a cinematic masterpiece!” Kaz shouted. He began to go on and on about Megamind’s character development and how cool Roxeanne Ritchy was. Hajime tuned them out and began to recite the events of today in his head. He had only taught two classes, A and B. The rest were general education, support, and management. He couldn’t teach those classes anything useful as they weren’t training for a future in the hero department.

The two classes he did teach were exceptional, to say the least. The first one, the one Komaeda brought in, was B. They were all well-behaved and excited, as well as talented. But nothing could prepare him for class A. The teacher who brought them in had very similar appearance to his, same long black hair and red eyes. A student even commented on it, asking if they were brothers. It was a very awkward situation. So awkward, Hajime couldn’t even remember the teacher’s name.

“Earth to Hajime!” Kaz said, waving his hand in front of Hajime’s eyes, “We’re gonna start Megamind now that Fuyuhiko is done with dinner!” He must have worn Chiaki down with hsi Megamind speech. Despite the strange day and annoying Kaz, Hajime felt oddly at peace. He couldn’t help but let a small but warm smile set on his lips.

“Eh….dude, why are you staring at me like that?” Kaz said, retreating a bit. Hajime rolled his eyes, unable to get rid of the smile.

“Just start the movie, dumbass,”

Fuyuhiko scowled, plates in hand, “That’s my line!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you all think so far! I may move to two updates a week since the chapters are so short.


	3. Sparing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime sees Komaeda in a different light

“Izuuuuru,” Ko cooed close to his ear. His breath tickled his neck, goosebumps erupting over his arms. The brick against his back felt real, prickling and scratching at his suit jacket. He sneered at the man in front of him, who was slightly taller. Hajime hated to admit it intimidated him, especially not being able to see his face.

“Get off of me, you ass,” he hissed. The man only giggled. Ko wasn’t usually this strong. He avoided close combat because of how weak he was in that field. But, somehow he had managed to pin Hajime against the wall by his wrists, keeping him contained no matter how much he thrashed around. Ko leaned in closer to Hajime, their cheeks practically touching.

“Not so tough now, huh?” He said in a hushed whisper. But, his tone was...different. More familiar. He pulled back, allowing Hajime to see his masked face again. Except, it was no longer masked. Instead, Komaeda was staring back at him, a small smirk on his lips.

Hajime sat up abruptly, panting from the shock of the dream. He was soaked in sweat, his sheets tightly bounded around his legs. Hazily, he recounted the strange nightmare. Komaeda being Ko? That was a stretch. They wouldn’t hire a teacher at UA if he was anything like the nuisance Ko was. Plus, it was just his brain making up some strange nightmare to frighten him, a side effect of his power.

He glanced at his clock. There was only five minutes left until he had to be up. He grumbled and untangled himself from the sheets. Time to get the day started.

\----------

“All right, I want to get an idea of how well you all are at close combat without using your powers,” Hajime announced to the class. Komaeda had hung back again, lingering in the back of the class. The dream was still fresh on his mind, forcing him to avoid eye contact with Komaeda.

“But aren’t you here to help us hone in on our quirks?” A boy in the front row asked. Hajime frowned.

“I suppose so. But physical strength and powers go hand in hand. Most quirks rely on it, in fact. We’ll build a foundation there and move on to quirks next week. I only need an idea of how skilled you all are,” Hajime explained. The class looked confused still. Hajime sighed and turned his head, trying to think of a solution.

“Need someone to spare with?” Komaeda asked with a smile. He had made his way to the front of the group without Hajime even noticing.

“..sure,” he murmured, averting his eyes. All he could see was Komaeda in his nemesis attire. It was unsettling. He scratched the back of his neck, “If you don’t mind too much.”

“Since I was not blessed with a quirk, I’m good rather good at fighting. So don’t worry too much about hurting me,” Komaeda said with a smile. Hajime felt almost relieved to hear Komaeda didn’t have any quirk and he was good at close combat. Two less reasons he was Ko.

“Let’s begin then,” Hajime said, relaxing a bit. He began tying his long hair up. He looked up to see Komeada staring at him in a daze of admiration. Hajime’s heart skipped a beat at this but he tried his best to ignore it, “Being able to keep up with your opponent in case your quirk becomes useless is important. Say you were in a fight with someone like Eraserhead, quirks would be useless.” The entire time he was talking, Hajime and Komaeda spaced out on the mat and took off their shoes. The students taking the opportunity to back up as well, just in case. Komaeda settled into a stance, a playful smirk on his face. Hajime followed suit respectfully, trying to keep a straight face. Komeada’s smile was too contagious.

“Ready?” He said. Haime nodded. Then they both advanced. He wasn’t expecting Komeda to move so quickly. He immediately went for a kick, which Hajime dodged by jumping back. That set the tone for the rest of the spare. It became more of a dance, the two throwing elaborate punches and kicks, each dodged skillfully. The students watched in silent amazement as their teachers fought in sync. Hajime quickly dodged a punch from Komaeda that was too close for comfort then mirrored it out of instinct. Komaeda seemed to have expected this and grabbed hold of Hajime’s forearm. There was hesitation but it wasn’t long before Komaeda jerked Hajime’s forearm towards him, his body falling consequently. He stumbled past Komeda, tripping over the mat and face planting into it. He didn’t have time to reel from the pain in his nose before he felt pressure on his back and his wrists being pinned on either side of his head.

“Your goal is….to always...detain the villain,” Komaeda said, panting in between his words. Hajime huffed and gave up on his struggle. Komaeda gave Hajime’s wrists a light squeeze before hopping off of him. The gesture was so small but it made Hajime’s stomach erupt in butterflies.

“Gonna get up, Mr. Kamakura?” Komaeda said in a hushed voice, a bit of play in his voice. Hajime turned his head just enough to see Komaeda peering down at him, his soft eyes were laced with concern, betraying his friendly smile.  
“You killed Mr. Kamakura, sensei!” A student shouted accusingly. Komaeda laughed nervously and held out his hand to Hajime. Hajime huffed and took it, hauling himself up onto his feet. He held his nose that was still throbbing in pain.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Komaeda said, his smiling falling, “Did you hurt your nose?” He approached Hajime, tilting his head.

“It’ll be fine,” Hajime said, dropping his hand and forcing a smile. He didn’t want Komaeda to feel guilty. He didn’t seem too convinced by Hajime’s smile but they continued with class. Hajime tried his best to ignore the new feeling in his stomach everytime he looked at Komaeda.

\----------

Hajime wandered the corridor of the second floor, glancing around. His nose was still throbbing with pain but it had subsided. He hadn’t really had the time to tour the school so, once class A had left, he took it upon himself to take a small tour. He figured it had to be around the class class of the day since his classes took place after lunch. The school was very contemporary, sporting large windows in almost every hallway. It held quite a nice view of the gorgeous courtyard. A variety of trees provided shade for students and there was even a small pond with a bridge. As he peered out the windows, he happened to see a group of students gathered near a tree. He paused for a moment, observing what they were doing.

The students had easels and clipboards, surrounded by all types of mediums and supplies. They sat lazily on the green lawn, working on projects and chatting amongst themselves. Among them stood a familiar white-haired figure. He was sporting a messy apron as he wandered around the students, peering over their shoulders and watching them quietly. Was Komaeda the art teacher? Why didn’t Hajime know that?

He couldn’t help but watch as Komaeda wandered among his sea of students lazily. For a moment he paused, his eyes glancing up from a students clipboard and landing directly on the creeping Hajime. Hajime jumped at this, feeling a bit embarrassed from being caught. Komaeda only smiled, waving politely which Hajime mimicked, a bit too quickly.

“Hinata, it’s good to see you.” Hajime jerked from the window to see Kyoko and Makoto standing there.

“Oh…hello there you two,” Hajime greeted, his embarrassed state only amplifying.

“How have your classes been going?” Kyoko asked patiently.

“Surprisingly well. The students seem to like me,” he said, walking from the window to meet Kyoko and Makoto.

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Makoto said with a warm smile. Kyoko’s eyes shifted to the window besides Hajime, then back to him with a knowing look.

“Observing Mr. Komaeda’s class?’ She questioned. Hajime shifted a bit, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze. He had been caught yet again.

“Just curious,” he muttered, “Komaeda’s been a great help in my class lately.”

“He’s a well-loved teacher around here,” Kyoko said, “A bit of a recluse, however.”

“I wasn’t aware he was the art teacher,” Hajime said.

“It’s only his first year here but he’s doing wonderful. I’m almost afraid some of our hero class students will drop out to be starving artists under his teaching,” Makoto said, laughing a bit. Kyoko smiled fondly at Makoto. That was the first time Hajime had ever seen Kyoko smile and it looked surprisingly natural. He expected a lot worse from the stone-cold principle.

“You should go join him, Hinata. Maybe he’ll teach you a few things,” Makoto said. Hajime frowned and looked out the window again.

“I don’t want to disrupt him,” Hajime said, trailing off.

“Oh, nonsense. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have you,” Kyoko said, “Makoto and I have to attend another class or we would join you.”

“We’ll see you around though, Hinata!” Makoto said as the pair began to walk away. Hajime waved, the tension leaving his body as the two disappeared down the hallway. He lingered for a moment, pondering on what he should do next. He could go visit Komaeda’s class like Makoto had suggested. Hajime really had nothing better to do. Deciding it would be the best decision to end his boredom, he made his way down the stairs and into the courtyard.

The air was cool on his skin as he opened the door, wind tossing his hair around in the ponytail he had put it up in. Usually he wouldn’t be walking around as Izuru Kamakura but, he figured it would produce confusion if he walked around as Hajime and Izuru so he decided to just stay as Izuru.

“Our figure drawing model has arrived a bit late,” Komaeda announced as Hajime approached the group. He began to regret coming down as students looked up from their clipboards with confusion. Komaeda navigated his way around the students to meet up with Hajime.

“How's your nose?” He asked in a hushed voice as he finally arrived at Hajime’s side.

The two began to talk quietly as they stared at the students working in front of them.

“I believe I’ll never be able to smell again,” Hajime said playfully. Komaeda smiled at this.

“What a shame,” he said, “Is that why you were spying on my class? Were you planning your revenge?” Hajime felt his face heat up a bit at this, remembering how he had been caught.  
“Ah sorry, that must have been a bit creepy,” Hajime said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Not at all, it was cute,” Komaeda said with a smile, “Nice to know my activities hold some interest with you.” If Hajime’s face wasn’t red before, it was now. He hoped Komaeda didn’t notice.

“You’re a very interesting person,” Hajime said before thinking. Komaeda glanced over, smiling brightly.

“You would be the first to think so,” Komaeda said, maintaining his smile. Hajime stared at him, trying to decipher the meaning behind this sentence. He found that the more time he spent with Komaeda, the more he wanted to know about him. Komaeda intrigued him much more than any person he met.

“I find that surprising,” Hajime said, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a more interesting person.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Hinata,” he smiled warmly at Hajime before stepping forward to help a student. Hajime stood there and watched motionless. He was completely mesmerized by Komaeda. The way he moved among his students, quietly talking and pointing things out. Every now and then, his eyes would shift back up to Hajime and Hajime swore his heart skipped a beat. He tried his best to look casual, leaning up against a tree as he observed. But he was sure he looked like a complete creep right now. But, Hajime couldn’t help it. He was completely enthralled with Komaeda all because he bested him in a fight.


	4. Painting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't quite go as planned

“I really have no time for this,” Hajime hissed, tossing his long hair out of his face with his spare hand. God, how he hated this hair. He always forgot to tie if back before fights. Chiaki had tried cutting it for him once but it only grew back when he used his powers again. However, his hair wasn’t anything compared to the current matter he was attending to. He continued his chat with Ko, “I have an early morning.”

“Awwww has Hajime gotten too good for me now that he’s a little school teacher?” Ko said with much more confidence than he should have, considering he was currently being shoved against the sidewalk with his hand twisted behind his back. His voice betrayed him however, showing a bit of strain in it. “

Shut up,” Hajime said, sinking his knee further into Ko’s back. He wheezed a bit, his confidence disintegrating.

“Ugh...fine,” he said, annoyed, “Let’s just call it another truce and we’ll both be on our ways.”

“You know I can’t let you get away,” Hajime said. This was the first time Hajime had fully managed to corner Ko and get him in a hold. He was so close to being rid of this nuisance of his.

But even now, so close to finally winning, he could feel his hesitation.

“But you did last time,” he could hear Ko pouting behind his mask. Hajime pushed the feelings of hesitation aside and tightened his grip on his hand that was pushing Ko’s head against the sidewalk. Again, he let out a strangled noise.

“Just shut up!” He yelled, “The police should be here soon. I’m done playing this game.” Ko struggled against his grip. He was panicking now, Hajime could tell. He felt a bit of relief, thinking these fights would finally be over. Of course, he knew that a new villain would just pop up and take his place but, maybe this one would take fights more seriously. One that wouldn’t lead him into an existential crisis while in the midst of a battle. In the back of his head, he knew he was just trying to justify turning Ko into the police. It was the right thing to do, he knew that. So why was he even thinking of letting Ko go? Entangled in his own thoughts, Hajime was too distracted to hear the clomping of boots getting closer to the pair. Ko did, however. And he only panicked even more once he recognized them.

“ Excuse me, darling,” a sickly sweet voice asked. Hajime glanced up from Ko, staring daggers at whoever dared to call him “darling”. Upon seeing the figure, a sick feeling settled in his stomach. In front of him was a woman with tangles of pink hair, pinned up in two ponytails on either side of her head. She wore an eccentric costume that Hajime would have taken the time to get a detailed description for the police if he hadn't been violently kicked in the face by her platform boots. He immediately released Ko, reeling backwards from the force of the kick. The woman laughed as Hajime clutched his nose, blood gushing onto his palms and seeping in between his fingers. He fell to the pavement, delirious from pain.

“Get up, servant,” she direct at Ko with a bit of play in her voice. _Servant?_

“This is….embarrassing,” he heard Ko whisper to himself as he stood, hesitance and unease in his stance. Hajime stumbled to his feet, trying to ignore the steady stream of blood dripping from his nose and onto the ground. The taste of iron tainted his tongue. He had no time to think on that however. In front of him, a strange scene played out. The woman grabbed a hold of Ko’s face through the mask, squeezing his cheeks and bringing him closer to her. His whole body looked tensed and rigid as soon as the woman laid hands on him.

“How disappointing. This is the first time I’ve had to save your ass in a while, love,” she spoke as if she was lecturing a toddler. Ko stood wordlessly for the first time in a while, allowing the woman to do with him as she pleased.

“Now, Izuru, did you mention that the police would be here soon?” She asked casually. Hajime glared at her wordlessly. As much as he would have liked to fight this woman, he felt frozen. Something about her was….off. It intimidated him.

“Not much of a talker? Shame, and to think I was so excited to finally meet you. I suppose we’ll have to cut this chat short. But, I will be seeing you again soon,” she smiled warmly at Hajime as if he was a childhood friend, “I hope you don’t mind if I take my servant with me? He’s not quite disposable at the moment.” Again, Hajime stood there silently. He was in a state of shock, his mind jumping hoops to evaluate the situation. The woman didn’t wait for his response, instead turning on her heel and dragging Ko with her. That’s when Hajime finally snapped out of it.

“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” He shouted. Neither of them responded. Instead, the woman waltzed into an alleyway, tugging at Ko’s arm. Hajime jumped into action, and sprinted down the sidewalk, skidding as he stopped to turn the corner of the alleyway. Only….there was no one there. Of course.

“Shit,” he hissed, his breathing heavy. Who was that woman? Why the hell was she calling Ko her “servant”? She was able to get Ko, the sporadic nuisance that plaque Hajime’s existence, under control like it was nothing. That was what really disturbed him.  
When the next school day arrived, he was still mulling the interaction over. Fuyuhiko had set his broken nose back into place last night and bandaged it this morning. It still throbbed painfully whenever he talked. He tried his best to ignore it while teaching his classes. Opon seeing his broken nose, Komaeda left the classroom with a solemn look on his face. Hajime was hoping to find some comfort in him. So, he wasn’t too surprised when he found himself walking to his classroom once his last class let out.  
He remembered Kirigiri’s directions the other day. Plus, it wasn’t too hard to stop the art room, as the door was decorated in a variety of pieces. Hajime hesitated at the door, his eyes taking in the artwork. He felt a bit nervous showing up unannounced but Komeada did it all the time. He should return the favor, right? Especially when Komaeda seemed to be having such an off day.

He quietly turned the handle and peeked in. The room was gorgeous, to say the least. It had a full wall of windows, letting in the evening sun. Every wall was decorated or painted with luxurious artwork, all adorned and framed with natural vines, flowers, and other plants. It was breathtaking. And in the middle, Komaeda sat in front of an easel with a large canvas on it. He hadn’t noticed Hajime enter as he was in deep thought about something. As Hajime closed the door behind him, he got a closer look at the canvas. It was….him. Or Izuru actually. The painting pictured him with a soft gaze on his face, staring off to the side. Around the Izuru on the canvas was what looked to be a meadow of flowers. It was so...peaceful and loving. Komaeda had even taken the time to take fake flowers and attach them to the canvas near the border. A deep blush set on his face. He instinctively took a step forward, his shoe clicking on tile. This caused Komaeda to jump and spin in his chair. Paint was splattered across his worried-stricken expression.

“W-what are you doing here?” Komaeda said, standing abruptly to block the canvas. His usual pale skin was bright red. Hajime panicked.

“I...I missed you in my class,” Hajime admitted in a moment of weakness. Komaeda’s sickly look grew worse. It wasn’t quite the reaction Hajime wanted.

“You have bad timing,” Komaeda said, nervously chuckling. He was still attempting to block the canvas to no avail.

“That painting…” he said, trailing off.

“T-Trash, I know,” he said. He quickly turned and grabbed a hold of either side of the canvas, removing it from the easel. Hajime was never one with words, he knew that. So, he jumped into action and grabbed ahold of Komaeda’s shoulders.

“It isn’t! I was saying that it looked amazing,” Hajime pleaded. Komaeda tensed in his grasp. Hajime continued, trying to lighten the mood, “Unless you think that the subject matter is trash, that is.” Komaeda whipped his head over his shoulder, some of his fluffy hair hitting Hajime’s face in the process. He looked...pissed.

“The subject matter isn’t trash!” He said, setting the painting back on the easel. He then turned his body fully to face Hajime, shaking his hands off his shoulders. Komeada was looking anywhere but Hajime, who was staring curiously, “My skills just aren’t good enough to capture your….beauty.”

“B-Beauty? Hajime questioned in a hushed tone. Komaeda was only just a foot away  
from him, practically trapped between Hajime and the easel. Hajime’s heart was beating a million miles a minute. This was unexpected. No one had ever described Hajime as beautiful. And to have it come from Komaeda, who was practically a walking painting himself, had caught Hajime completely off guard.  
Komaeda’s eyes finally rested on Hajime. They scanned his face nervously, as if trying to decipher a hidden language under his freckles. Seeming to give up, he turned his head to the side and let his eyes fall to the floor.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he said quietly.

“Like what?” Hajime said, taking a step forward. The light sound of his shoes on the tile seemed to startle Komaeda, who once again looked back up at Hajime. He was expecting that playful smile and quip. Instead, Komaeda looked weak and solemn.

“And please keep away from me,” he said. But, he sounded unsure about his words. They wavered in the air, settling on the small space between them. Hajime mulled over Komaeda’s behavior. It was so starkly different from the usual Komaeda.

“Is...something wrong?” Hajime asked quietly.

“Yes! Do you know anything about personal space?” He finally snapped. Hajime physically reacted to the harshness, taking a step back instinctively. In the back of his head, he knew Komaeda may have just been having a bad day and needed space. But, Hajime was never one to use his entire brain. When it came to having to defend himself, Hajime was ruthless. He had been told several times he may have some slight anger issues but, he always brushed it off.

“Personal space?” He said, anger lacing his voice, “That’s rich coming from the guy who’s literally painting me.” Komaeda looked shocked, a pink tint returning to his face. He then narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to Hajime.

“I’m not painting you,” Komaeda said fiercely, “I’m just painting the better version of you.” That did it. Hajime was furious. No, he was beyond furious. It was polluting his head, judgment thrown out of the window. This was a familiar feeling he got when fighting villains. His teammates affectionately called it his “Rage-Mode''. But, through the red tint that clouded his vision, he only saw Komaeda, no villain. He wasn’t squaring up or running away. Instead, he looked down-right terrified.

“I...I’m sorry,” Komaeda said quietly, fear apparent. Hajime could barely hear it over the blood rushing in his ears but he still heard it nonetheless. His angry demeanor completely crumpled. The long hair settled around his shoulders as tension left his body. He had already begun beating himself up for losing his cool.

“I….” was all he could say, his voice trailing off as he noticed the tears in the corner of Komaeda’s eyes. Komaeda seemed to notice them too, quickly rubbing his eyes to get rid of them. When he stopped, he looked completely defeated.

“Please…..just leave,” he murmured. Hajime swallowed hard. He had really screwed up.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Komaeda said nothing, avoiding eye contact. Hajime finally took the hint. He turned, quietly leaving the room, wishing desperately he would just combust into flames.


	5. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reconciliation??

Things between Hajime and Komaeda grew very awkward. Komaeda no longer stayed behind for Hajime’s classes. And when they passed each other in the hallway, Hajime avoided eye contact as much as possible. He felt horribly guilty for the incident that occured in the art room but Hajime didn’t know how to go about apologizing for it. And Komaeda was making it clear he was avoiding him.

Hajime had been teaching for two months now. He hated to admit it but he had grown close with his students. They seemed to admire him a lot, constantly asking for stories of being a pro hero. Sometimes, they would have off days where he would give in and tell them about his experiences. When questioned, he claimed it was part of his curriculum.

“It’s like a theory portion of the class,” Hajime said, prodding at his soba with his chopsticks.

“It’s a waste of class time,” Imposter said, crossing his arms. He taught one of the classes in general education, the exact one had slipped Hajime’s mind. Hajime had gotten familiarized with him since he started coming to the cafeteria for lunches before his class. Who could pass up free soba?

“Why do you say that?” Hajime argued.

“Your class is meant for training,” he said, waving his chopsticks around, “Not theory.”

“But the students seem to like it,”

“Of course they do, it gives them time to slack off,” Imposter said, his frown deepening.

“They work hard, they deserve it,” Hajime shrugged.

“Don’t tell me Hajime is actually caring for his students!” Ibuki said loudly, leaning forward from her spot next to Imposter. She was a rambunctious music teacher that often ran around with Imposter. The two were a cute yet unlikely pair.

“They’re becoming tolerable,” Hajime said, trying to force back a smile.

“Ibuki thinks Hajime wants to become a full time teacher!”

“No thanks. As soon as this villain issue is solved, I’m out of here.”

“Awww! But the students like you so much!” Ibuki whined. Hajime couldn’t help but smile fondly at the thought of his students actually liking him. The idea of being a full time teacher didn’t sound as horrible as it used to….

But he longed to just be a pro-hero again. The pressure of having to teach was just too much, Hajime couldn’t imagine having to spend the rest of his life doing this. His mind drifted into thoughts about Komaeda again. The art teacher was so passionate about his students. He seemed to genuinely enjoy teaching. Hajime frowned down at his soba.

Why did he have to go and mess things up so bad? The whole situation was still shrouded in confusion for Hajime. He wasn’t sure why Komaeda had been in such a bad mood that day. But still, he should have just left when he was asked to. Things would have been repairable if he did. He wasn’t sure if that was quite the case anymore….

“Good evening,” a familiar, melodic said. Hajime glanced up to see Komaeda, standing tensely at their table. It was almost like he had summoned him with his thoughts. Komaeda’s eyes were avoiding Hajime like his life depended on it.

“Hello Nagito!” Ibuki said happily.

“Apologies for interrupting your meal but, Makoto wanted me to tell the teachers there's going to be an emergency faculty meeting this evening,” Komaeda said, his eyes drifting to Ibuki. Then to Hajime. Hajime tensed at this, finding it hard to look away. Komaeda’s lips dipped into a frown, his eyes darkening. What the hell? Does he...hate me that much?”

“Emergency? Is everything okay?” Imposter asked. Komaeda directed his attention back to him.

“He wouldn’t tell me but he seemed tense,” Komaeda said.

“I suppose we’ll find out. Thank you, Komaeda.” With that, Komaeda nodded and left. Hajime relaxed his shoulders but he still had a sick feeling in his stomach. Why did Komaeda glare at him? Did he really mess up that bad?

“Ibuki sense some tension between you and Nagito,” Ibuki said, leaning over to Hajime.

“Why did he glare at you like that?” Imposter asked, frowning.

“Was it really that noticeable?” Hajime said as she stood, “I was hoping I imagined that.” He had lost his appetite and wanted nothing more than to be as far from Komaeda as possible at the current moment.

“You two seemed like you were getting along great,” Imposter said, “Now he seems to really have a distaste for you.”

“It’s a long story,” Hajime sighed, grabbing his tray. Imposter nodded, taking the hint Hajime didn’t want to talk about it.

“I’ll see you all at the meeting,” Hajime said as he walked away. He fell into deep thought. Something felt extremely off. Komaeda’s attitude paired with this emergency meeting was making Hajime sick to his stomach with nerves. He wanted to avoid Komaeda as much as possible. He was good at that, running from his problems. But, the emergency faculty meeting made it impossible.

\----------

Hajime sank in the uncomfortable seat, opting for his regular appearance opposed to Izuru. He had become more casual around the school lately, even teaching some of his classes as just regular old Hajime. No one seemed to mind too much.

As more teachers flooded in, the seats slowly filled. Hajime watched the faces lazily, not thinking too much of it. However, when Komaeda entered, he quickly averted his eyes to the empty seat across from him. Panic flooded him when he realized that was the only seat left. He glanced back at Komaeda, who seemed to realize this as well. He mimicked his face from earlier, glaring at the empty seat. However, having no other options, he took it. Both men ignored each other's presence defiantly.

“Welcome, everyone,” Kyoko said as she entered the room, Makoto trailing behind her. She looked more serious than usual, dark bags under her eyes. Instead of taking a seat, she stood at the end of the table, setting a stack of papers down.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Something rather serious occurred this morning and it’s important I bring it to everyone’s attention. I want your opinions on a rather serious matter,” Tension filled the air immediately. Hajime sat up a bit, moving to the edge of his seat.

“This morning….the villain league that has been harassing the school announced they are planning an attack on the sports festival.” A deafening silence overtook the room. Everyone seemed to be letting the information sink in. Hajime’s brow knit in worry as he sat up even more, scanning the faces of his colleagues. They seemed to be mirroring his expression. Kyoko looked over the crowd and sighed deeply.

“We are faced with a choice,” she said, closing her eyes, “Continue and risk our students getting harmed or, we cancel it all together.”

“It seems obvious to cancel,” a confident voice said without hesitation. Hajime glanced over to see Komaeda, tense and solemn, “Why risk a students life for a sports festival? It seems irrational.” Hajime couldn’t help but agree with him to an extent. But, an overwhelming sense of pride took over. Why was he hired if they were just going to flee at the first sign of danger? He was a hero. He doesn’t give in to villains this easily.

“Why give in to what the villains want?” Hajime found himself saying before he could stop himself. Komaeda glanced over at him with wide eyes. Hajime stood his ground and refused to avert his eyes from Komaeda’s pale green ones. He could see just how tired Komaeda looked, the darkness under his lashes with a hint of pink lining his eyes.

“The villains are only threatening us because they want us to cancel the sports festival,” Hajime continued slowly, “Who in their right mind would attack the sports festival? It will be crawling with pro-heroes who won’t hesitate to take them down.” Komaeda narrowed his eyes at this, gripping the edge of the table.

“Are you so sure of that? Who knows what kind of powers they have on their side,” he said.  
“These students have been training ruthlessly for this sports festival. It’s their chance to get in with an agency. You can’t live your life on what ifs, Komaeda,” Hajime said. The interaction was seeping tension as the teachers watched this back and forth, all too mesmerized to butt in.

Except for Makoto, who took a step forward and interrupted, trying to diffuse the situation. “Komaeda, Hajime. Let’s not get so hea-”

“Oh really?” Komaeda said, ignoring Makoto. Hajime could see a crazed look in his eyes, one he wasn’t used to, “Well what about this then; What if a student dies a needless death? Are you willing to have that on your hands, Izuru.” The hero's name was poison in Komaeda’s mouth. But, it sounded so strikingly...familiar. Hajime would worry about that later.

“I have plenty of needless deaths on my hands, Komaeda. Ones that keep me up at night. So if you don’t think I wouldn’t give everything to prevent another needless death, you are wrong,” Hajime seethed. He had gone overboard again but, he didn’t care. Komaeda stared at him, wide-eyed and shocked. He was sure that was the expression all the teachers wore currently. But he was only focused on Komaeda right now. His face was flushed red as he remained quiet, possibly overwhelmed from Hajime’s outburst. Komaeda swallowed hard before averting his eyes quickly, giving in.

“I agree with Hinata,” Kyoko said after a few seconds of silence, “While I have the same concerns as Komaeda, we can’t just give in.” Deafening silence overtook the room. Hajime expected there to be discourse over the issue but no one spoke up. Maybe they were too afraid of Hajime’s sudden erratic behavior to object.

The screech of a chair moving along the tile interrupted the silence. Komaeda had stood, his hand’s placed on the table as he leaned forward, a glare burning into Hajime.

“I hope it’s worth it,” he said in a low voice before turning on his heel and stomping out, the door slamming behind him. Hajime sat for a couple of seconds, his mind racing. Teachers had begun to talk amongst themselves finally, not minding Komaeda’s dramatic leave. Something wasn’t sitting right with Hajime, however. That same sickening feeling of nerves overtook him. Before he knew it, he was following Komaeda outside of the meeting room.

“Komaeda!” He called down the hallway. Komaeda continued to walk, ignoring Hajime’s calls for him. Growing frustrated, Hajime sped up and managed to catch hold of Komaeda’s wrist.

“What’s your deal?” Hajime shouted, whipping Komaeda around. He looked downright angry but, to Hajime’s surprise, tears were streaming down his face as well.

“What do you mean ‘what's my deal?’' He sputtered, yanking his wrist from Hajime’s hand, “After you humiliated me in my own classroom, you go and humiliate me in front of my own colleagues. I’m fucking pissed, you aboslute asshole!” He had never heard Komaeda cuss before, it caught him off guard. He frowned, staring deeply into Komaeda’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said with sincerity, “I didn’t mean to humiliate you. I...wasn’t thinking.”

“That’s the issue with your hero’s. Thinking before you act,” he said, his voice still laced with anger. Hajime wanted to interject but he could tell Komaeda had more to say. He bit his tongue, allowing the furious man in front of him to continue, “You’re all too selfless for your own good. I….” he lowered his voice but, it still remained firm with intent,

“While I admire it, it’s downright idiotic. You all hold yourself with so much dignity yet you’re so quick to throw away your life for others. Why? Why do you have no sense of self-preservation?”

“What do you mean?” Hajime asked quietly. Komaeda huffed.

“You’re so willing to throw yourself into a dangerous situation. What if the villains do actually attack and it’s much more than you ever planned for? Something you never saw coming?”

“I’ll do whatever I can. I’m not going to run away, if that’s what you’re implying,” Hajime said, “That’s what it is to be a hero.”

“It will get you killed someday,” Komaeda said coldly, turning away.

“I’ve come to terms with that,” Hajime said. Silence fell between them but, neither moved away from each other. With the students already having gone home for the day, the empty hallways loomed around them. All that could be heard was their breathing, heavy from conflict. Finally, Komaeda broke the silence.

“Did you mean it?” Komaeda said, his gaze dropping to the floor. Hajime cocked his head.

“Mean what?” He asked.

“You would do anything to prevent the needless deaths of these students?” Komaeda said. He glanced at Hajime, a soft look on his face. Tears still lining his eyes, “These students….I care about my students more than anything in this entire world. They are the best thing that has ever happened to me. The prospects of any of them getting injured…” he choked back a sob, covering his face, “....terrifies me.” Hajime felt overcome with emotion. He couldn’t help but take a step forward, his hands resting on Komaeda’s forearms. Komaeda flinched at the sudden contact but he didn’t move away. Instead, he stared at Hajime with intent, face flushed from crying.

“I...I fully intend to protect these children with my life. When I first came here, this felt like just another job. But I’ve unfortunately grown close to these heathens. I don’t want them to become another statistic.” Komaeda stared quietly, his face unreadable. Then, the ghost of a smile faded onto his lips.

“I will hold you to that, Hajime,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is liking this story, it’s been fun to write and I have a lot of big plans for it! It’s just now picking up lol


	6. Sports Festival Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get the chance the edit this before hand so I apologize if it sucks lol. I blame the Komahina brain rot.

Komaeda was truly a despicable person.

At least, that’s what he thought. He sat on his terrace, staring at the night sky. It was clear out, stars decorating the sky. He tried his best to make out constellations, hoping it would distract him.

It did not.

His mind was racing with everything that had happened today. He had tried too hard to convince the teachers to just cancel the sports festival, it would have made things so much easier. Even if Junko would have killed him for it. Now, he has a decision to make.

Continue his duty as the UA traitor or betray Junko Enoshima?

Betraying Junko Enoshima was a death sentence, he knew that. If he fought back during the sports festival and didn’t die there, she would hunt him down and kill him. But, at least he would die protecting his students. Or….he could continue being a coward and allow them to be slaughtered so he could continue his miserable life carrying out Junko’s orders as her servant. How appealing.

Komaeda stood up from the chair, stretching his arms to the stars that littered the sky and taking a deep breath. For the first time in a while, he felt at ease. He had made his decision.

\----------

Hajime Hinata was truly a despicable person.

At least, that’s what his roommates thought. Fuyuhiko to be specific. Currently, he was getting dressed for the UA Sports Festival that was being held this afternoon. And his roommates were pissed.

“Why didn’t you get us tickets?!” Kaz cried out.

“It’s a closed off event this year, only heroes,” Hajime tried to explain, straightening his tie.

“But you could have snuck us in somehow, you ass,” Fuyuhiko said.

"Listen, there's a severe security threat this year so I’d rather you guys not be there. Just in case.”

“Aww the dumbass actually cares,” Fuyuhiko said, rolling his eyes.

“We can just have a viewing party,” Chiaki said from the couch, not bothering to lift her eyes from the game.

“It'll be live.” Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi groaned but seemed to accept that they were not going to get to go. Hajime turned his attention back to the full length mirror that was placed on the back of the bathroom door. He had chosen to skip his full hero attire, instead just wearing a button up and high-waisted slacks. It was a casual yet professional look. One he could move around in easily if he needed to fight.

He really hoped it didn’t come to that, however.

The school had put in so many preparations to ensure the security of the kids. While the tension was high, there was still hope that the threat would just be a false alarm. Truly, the only way the sports festival could go wrong is with an ambush or….if the traitor decided to show their face. Hajime sighed and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt as he pondered over that idea. It made him sick to think that there could be a villain amongst the teachers. Or possibly even the students. He tried his best not to think about it.

“Alright, I’m headed out,” he said to his roommates. There was a collective noise from them that sounded somewhat similar to a goodbye but, he couldn’t tell for sure. He slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and grabbed a waistcoat from the coat rack, just in case it got cold. And with that, he left for the Sports Festival.

\----------

Hajime sat beneath the announcing booth, lazily staring at the empty field. Next to him sat Imposter and on the other side of him was Ibuki. Some other teachers mingled nearby, talking amongst themselves. He had arrived early to help prep the students but, now it was moments until the Sports Festival began and he had nothing better to do than just wait. The seats were filled with pro-heroes and recruiters alike, all background checked before being allowed to enter. There was some uproar about the event becoming closed to the public this year but UA had decided not to give the reason, afraid it would discourage support in the school. Hajime didn’t quite agree with this decision but it was one made by the Hero Agency so, it wasn’t as if he could argue.

“It’s quite wonderful weather for a sports festival,” a voice said beside him. Hajime looked up to see Komaeda, staring fondly out to the field. At first, Hajime felt a bit tense being in the other presence. They still hadn’t debriefed what had happened after the meeting. But, Komaeda had a soft smile on his face that put Hajime at ease.

“It is, lucky for us,” Hajime said. The corner of Komaeda’s mouth quipped up into a smirk at this but he said nothing about Hajime’s seemingly innocent statement. Instead, he looked back from the field to Hajime, who’s heart was racing more than he would like to admit.

“Mind if I sit next to you?” He asked quietly. Hajime stared blankly. Had they reconciled? Was everything okay now?

“Not at all,” Hajime said, still slightly stunned. He heard Komaeda chuckle as he sat down in the seat next to him, folding a coat over his lap.

“You looked a bit shocked to see me,” Komaeda said.

“I just...I figured you were still...mad,” Hajime said, adjusting himself in his seat. Komaeda paused at this, then sighed.

“I am,” he started, “But, I took some time to think over the situation. I was acting abrasive when I shouldn't have.”

“No, that was all my fault. I get in these weird mindsets where I can’t control what I do. I act and speak before I give any thought,” Hajime said, sitting up a bit straighter. He felt awkward next to Komaeda but was still happy to have him join him nonetheless.

“That’s what makes a hero though,” Komaeda said, almost to himself, “I realized something over the few weeks since that conversation.”

“What is that?” Hajime asked curiously.

Komaeda glanced over, a smile on his face, “Me and you are alike in more ways than one.” Hajime stayed quiet at this, thinking it over. There had to be something specific Komaeda was thinking about, Hajime could tell by the look on his face. It must have become apparent that Hajime was confused because Komaeda continued with a sigh, “We both are okay with being stepping stones for hope.”

“Elaborate,” Hajime said, more sternly than he wished.

Komaeda chuckled. “You said it yourself. You would do anything to prevent the needless deaths of your students, right?”

“I suppose you’re right,”

“And, that ideal will get us killed someday.” Komaeda tilted his head innocently, despite the weight his words carried. Hajime sat there, his mouth slightly agape. He wanted so badly to question Komaeda on this but his words were cut short by the announcer.

“Hey!!!” A shout came over the loudspeaker, “Make some noise you rabid sports fans!” The crowd erupted around them, obeying the announcers wishes. Hajime saw Komaeda sink in his chair a bit, his grip tightening on the armrest.

“This year we’re bringing y’all some of the best performances in Sports Festival history guaranteed!!” The announcer shouted. Hajime glanced over to Komaeda, who looked rather pale at the newly riled up crowd.

“Not a fan of crowds?” Hajime asked.

Komaeda looked over, a deep frown on his face. “Loud noises,” was all he said in response. Hajime nodded, returning his attention back to the field. This event wouldn’t be very fun for Komaeda then. He must have really felt the need to be here if he had such an aversion to loud noises. Hajime adjusted himself in his seat, his mind wandering back to the conversation they had after the meeting. He had never seen Komaeda so serious before. There was a look in his eyes that was both frightening and intriguing. Just like before, Hajime found himself wanting to know more about Komaeda. Was he really so passionate about his students that he would fight so earnestly for their safety?

Hajime glanced over to Komaeda next to him, who had tried his best to relax in the loud environment. There had to be something else to it. Something that drove Komaeda even more than the safety of the students. And Hajime desperately wanted to understand it, to understand him. Komaeda looked up from the field, his eyes meeting Hajime’s. A small smile laced his lips before he turned back to the field. Hajime swallowed hard and quickly mirrored Komaeda, turning his attention back to the field. Everytime their eyes met, Hajime could feel his ears warm up from a blush and his hands would become clammy. It didn’t matter if they were not on the greatest of terms, it always happened without fail. Hajime didn’t want to think too much about it.

“I like this announcer-dude,” a voice next to him said, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked over to see Ibuki sitting on the other side of Imposter, bouncing happily in her seat like a child. Imposter gave a fond smile, laughing a bit to himself.

“He is rather energetic,” Imposter said.

“Rather annoying,” Komaeda said under his breath, a grim look on his face. Hajime chuckled, which earned a half-hearted glare from Komaeda.

For the first time in a while, everything felt good. Wholesome. They watched as their students performed, cheering them on with the rest of the crowd. Even Komaeda got into it, yelling along with Hajime and clapping cheerfully. He still winced at the amount of noise every now and then but he had relaxed considerably.

Intermission soon came. Hajime stood up and stretched. They had been sitting for almost an hour and a half now and his joints weren’t too happy with him.

“Ibuki is hungry!” Ibuki called out.

“I am too,” Nagito said, frowning.

“Come with me to get Nagito! We can get corn dogs!” Ibuki said, jumping from her seat. Nagito winced a bit but smiled, standing up to join Ibuki.

“I suppose I’ll join them, just in case,” Imposter said, “Do you mind watching the seats, Hajime?”

“No at all,” Hajime said with a smile.

“Could I get you anything?” Komaeda asked, stepping past Hajime.

“I’ll be okay, thank you though,” Hajime said. He had a warm feeling in his chest from Komaeda asking him that, even though it was such a simple gesture. It was just comforting to know everything was seemingly okay between them. As the group disappeared underneath the stands, Hajime got comfortable in his chair again, mindlessly watching people clearing off the field in front of him. His mind wandered into needless thoughts, his cheek resting in his propped up hand. He felt truly happy for the first time in a while.

He could almost forget the threat looming over them.

The sound of a distant helicopter made him stir in his seat, an uneasy feeling washing over him. Well, it wasn’t the helicopter that was initially unsettling. Hajime heard and saw helicopters often, it wasn’t that big of a deal. But there was something about this specific one that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He sat up straight in the chair, blocking the sun out as he looked up at the sky. There was no need though. Because soon enough, a large object blocked the sun out, casting the entire stadium in a shadow.

“What the-” he heard a voice say. Hajime glanced back to see that the group had returned, all staring up at the sky with horrified expressions. Especially Komaeda. He looked as though he was going to be sick, his eyes wide and terrified.

“Komaeda,” Hajime called out as he approached the group. Komaeda’s head whipped towards him, tears pricking the edge of his eyes. He looked petrified.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a frantic whisper. Hajime furrowed his eyebrows at this. He didn’t have time to question it, however. He was interrupted by a loud, billowing crash. All heads turned to the field again. In the middle, a large wooden crate sat. It took up a third of the field, standing ominously in the petrifying silence of the stadium. Then, it creaked open. All four sides collapsed to the ground, revealing a mound of white, black, and red. The mound stirred to life, beeping and….laughing?! Hajime swore he heard little _phuhuhu_ ’s echoing through the silent stadium.

The mound erupted once again. This time, Hajime could make out small, bear shaped figures wobbling towards the stands. Their mouths were open, a white gas pillowing out from their sharp-toothed maws. It was terrifying and confusing all at once.

"This is not good,” Imposter said. This seemed to shake Komaeda from his trance, his horrified expression turning into a determined one. He turned to Hajime, his green eyes clouded with something unfamiliar. Then, it hit him. Hajime finally understood what Komaeda had said earlier. _We both are okay with being stepping stones for hope. And that ideal will get us killed someday._

“Ready to be a stepping stone?” Hajime said, a smile on his face as he outstretched his hand to Komaeda. Komaeda’s eyes lit up at this, a smile gracing his face.

“Thought you would never ask,” he said, taking Hajime’s hand with a firm grip.

“Sorry to interrupt your moment but, you two are not going down there,” Imposter said bluntly, “Komaeda doesn’t even have a quirk and we have no idea what is going on.”

“Ibuki can find out!” Ibuki said, taking a confident step forward. Imposter gripped her arm, not allowing her to move any further.

“You two don’t even have a plan,” Imposter said.

“We can’t just stand by. They’re obviously hostile,” Hajime said. Imposter frowned, turning his gaze back to the field. His eyes widened as he muttered a curse under his breath. Hajime looked to the field, curious what caused the reaction. Then, he saw it. A group of students were cornered on the field, desperately trying to get rid of a large group of the bears.

Komaeda acted first, breaking into a spring down the stairs. Their hands were still clasped together so Hajime was consequently dragged along. He stumbled for a second before regaining balance using the awkward hand hold Komaeda still had him in.

Hajime’s quirk activated,long black hair whipping past his shoulders as his feet pounded on the concrete stairs. He searched his brain for a useful quirk. It was almost like hotwiring a car, disconnecting and reconnecting wires to find the perfect quirk. Before he knew it, large feathery wings sprouted from his shoulders blades, feathers cascading around him. Komaeda gave him a surprised look just before Hajime scooped him up, arms looping under Komaeda’s. He let out a surprised noise as his feet left the ground. Then he chuckled.

“What’s funny?” Hajime asked, adjusting his grip on Komaeda as they sped towards the field. Komaeda looked up at Hajime, a grin on his face.

“You look like a weird angel,” he said. Hajime tried to hide his smile, knowing the situation they were in was dire and they needed to focus. But, he just couldn’t help it.

“You’re an idiot,” Hajime said endearingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably end up post another chapter around Thursday cause I'm really excited about this part! Let me know what y'all think!


	7. Sports Festival Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decided to post this early since I had it already written! Get ready for some A N G S T. 
> 
> This chapter was hard to write so I'm sorry if it seems a bit rough. I had like 50 different ideas on how this should play out.

As soon as Hajime and Komaeda made it to the ground, a bear was clawing at his leg. He didn’t hesitate to stomp on it, smashing its head in. The white gas continued to pour out, hitting Hajime’s face. It felt like steam but smelt disgustingly like rotten citrus. He quickly waved his hand in front of his face and reeled back, stumbling over his ankles. Komaeda placed a hand on his shoulder, stabilizing him.

“It’s sleeping gas,” Komaeda said casually.

“What? Seriously? How are we supposed to get around that?” Hajime asked, turning his attention back to the group of cornered students.

“Just don’t breath,” Komaeda quipped with a smile. Hajime frowned but had no time to retaliate as Komaeda broke into a sprint.

“Hey!” Hajime called out, following him.

“We can’t waste time!” Komaeda called back.

“Just..” Hajime hesitated, “Just be safe please! Don’t be stupid!” Komaeda looked over his shoulder at this, a bit shocked. Then, he smiled warmly. Hajime felt his heart practically stop at the smile. It was so sincere. Something about it lit a flame under Hajime. He sped up, feet aching from his tortuous dress shoes. With ease, he passed a surprised Komaeda. And before he knew it, he was upon the group of bears. They turned their attention to Hajime, cackling and clawing at him.

Sometimes, Hajime would have moments where it seemed as though his quirk took over him. He went on autopilot practically, allowing his body to move itself. This was one of the moments. He launched himself in the air using an air manipulation quirk he had acquired. The bears scattered beneath him from the force of the wind, their sleeping gas almost completely dissipating. Once he had reached almost four stories in the air, he began a descent. It was rapid but he had just enough time to see the look of awe on Komaeda’s face. That was all he needed.

He slammed into the ground forcefully, disrupting the surface beneath him. The only reason he didn’t break every bone in his body was due to a protective quirk he had enabled. The bears wobbled, toppling over and losing their balance. That wasn’t the grand finale, however. As soon as he touched the ground, an electromagnetic pulse radiated from him. It disrupted the ground even more but this time, the bears took the final blow. There was a moment where they all jolted, a loud static noise piercing the air. Then, they collapsed, black steam rising from their bodies.

“Hah,” Hajime huffed, smiling tiredly. That may have been overkill on his part. He stood up, wavering a bit in his spot. He looked worse for wear, the ground had scraped up his arms and dress pants. Pieces of shrapnel from the field cut up his face a bit as well. But, Hajime hadn’t fought with that much earnestness in a while. It felt good.

“Hinata!” Komaeda called out, traversing the dead robots on the ground. Hajime could see he was singed, a bit of steam rising from his head. He frowned at this. Definitely overkill if Komaeda had been hurt.

“Are you okay?” Hajime called out.

“Don’t worry about me,” Komaeda brushed off, “That was amazing!” Hajime chuckled a bit, looking over his shoulder to see the group of students. They looked similar to Komaeda, a bit signed with steam rising from them. However, they also looked extremely drowsy from the sleeping gas, their fighting forms flimsy and weak.

“We should get the students to the locker rooms,” Hajime said as Komaeda finally caught up to him.

“That's a good idea. I think the other heroes can take care of the rest,” Komaeda agreed. He turned to Hajime, “You used that electromagnetic quirk because you figured out they were robots, right? How did you know?”

Hajime smiled, “Lucky guess.”

\----------

Hajime and Komaeda had managed to guide the drowsy students to the locker rooms, opting to guard the outside while they waited for an all-clear. Hajime paced the corridor, his high from fighting turning into paranoia. Komaeda sat near the door, conversing with some of the students inside to keep them calm.

Something was bothering Hajime too much for him to relax, however.

The person who sent those bears had to make an appearance soon. He just knew it. And the idea of Junko showing up terrified him. His nose still ached from the kick she gave him. And if Junko showed up, Ko might as well. He wasn’t too happy about that idea either. Knowing Ko, he would go for the low blows, possibly targeting Komaeda at any chance he got.

“Hinata,” Komaeada said in a soothing tone. Hajime stopped in his tracks to see Komaeda was standing right in front of him, a soft smile on his face.

“Sorry,” Hajime murmured, “I’m probably stressing you out.”

“I’m just worried about you,” Komaeda said.

“I’m okay, really. Just...antsy,” Hajime admitted. “If you want to go help fight, I can watch over the students,”

“I may…” Hajime trailed off. Maybe fighting off some more of those robots would get his mind off things. He was itching to see what was going on out there. But he also didn’t want to leave Komaeda here alone. Hajime almost felt….protective over him now.

“I think I’ll just go and check out the progress but, I’ll be back,” Hajime said, smiling at Komaeda. Komaeda smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Just call out if you need anything,” Komaeda said. He made his way down the hall, turning the corner into another corridor that would lead to the entrance. As he approached the entrance, he began to make out a shape standing in it, blocking the sun. It was the figure of a woman. Features slowly became more and more apparent as Hajime approached. As soon as he realized who it was, standing so proudly like she belonged there, he halted.

Junko Enoshima.

Before he could react, she cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, “Serrrrvant!” Shit, was Ko here? Hajime looked over his shoulder, bringing up his arms in case Ko rounded the corner. Instead, Komaeda skidded into the corridor, almost hitting the wall. Hajime frowned at this. Why didn’t he stay put?

“Komaeda, get out of here!” Hajime yelled, “I don’t want you getting hurt.” Komaeda had already managed to make it to Hajime’s side. He was breathing heavy, his eyes wide with terror.

“Dont be dumb, please just get out of here,”

“I can't,” Komaeda explained, huffing. His eyes darted back to the end of the hall where the Junko stood, “That’s her quirk.” _What? What was he talking about?_

“There you are!” A loud voice echoed. Was she referring to Ko? Why couldn’t he see him? He usually had dramatic entrances. Hajime hastily moved in front of Komaeda, that protective feeling washing over him again. Junko stood at the end of the hall, a crazed smile on her face and her arms outstretched, “Am I going to have to save your ass from Izuru again, love?” _What? What the hell was she talking about? Was Ko actually here or was she going crazy?_

“He isn’t here, you dumb bitch,” Hajime hissed. Junko’s smile faltered, her eyes darting from Komaeda to Hajime. Then, realization washed over her face and she laughed.

“Oh I see!” Junko called out, moving closer to the two, “He doesn’t know, does he? Well, let’s just fix that.”

“No!” Komaeda called out, his hand reaching out to grip Hajime’s arm. Hajime felt out of the loop. He pursed his lips, trying to make sense of the situation.

“Servant, dearest, would you reveal yourself?” Junko said, her voice mimicking a british accent. Hajime took a step backwards, wanting to get closer to Komaeda in case Ko did actually show. Komaeda’s grip on Hajime tightened. Hard. It would leave bruises, Hajime was sure. Komaeda must have felt seriously scared.

Then he felt an immense heat coming from the touch.

Hajime flinched, moving out of Komaeda’s grip. He looked back to see Komaeda, that painful smile still on his face. Tears were now spilling over his cheeks, his lips trembling. He was avoiding Hajime’s eye contact at all cost. And Hajime knew exactly why.

A flame burned brightly in Komaeda’s hand. One that resembled…

“K-Ko?” Hajime said shakily. Komaeda let out a strained laugh, running his hand through his hair. He couldn’t meet Hajime’s eyes.

“I’m s-s-so sorry,” his voice shook, “I never intended t-this.”

“You…” Hajime trailed off, a look of bewilderment on his face. The world seemed to crumble around him. All he could feel was betrayal. The feeling caused every part of his body to ache and tremor. It was pollutant, traveling deep all the way to his bones. He wanted nothing more than for it to go away. Junko cackled, finding pure enjoyment in the situation.

“There we go!! That’s the despair I was seeking!” Junko cried out. He felt panicked, stressed, downright miserable. Part of him just wanted to give up right there and then. At that thought, Hajime’s body went rigid, but not on his own accord.

“Izuru, love, will you punish Servant for me please. I'm far too sad to do it myself,” Junko said, pouting. Hajime’s body moved on it’s own. And he let it. He felt pathetic and useless, his eyes unfocused on the ceiling behind Komaeda. There was no way he could look him in the eyes, not now. Everything felt faded and blurred as he just...gave in. This was unlike him. What was happening? Did he care? No….not really.

Komaeda had brought this on himself right? It was truly sad, Hajime thought. The way things turned out was so….despair inducing. Everything felt so amazing today, of course things were to go wrong. Of course, of course, of course, of course. The words repeated in Hajime’s brain, bouncing off the walls of his skull. It was all he could think, all he could see, all he could hear. Whatever was going to happen, would happen. He truly gave in and allowed his body to completely succumb.

“Hajime!” Komaeda cried out. At the sound of his first name, Hajime snapped out of it. Beneath him, Komaeda had a contorted look of pain and horror, eyes red and puffy with tears. He was hovering over him, legs on either side of Komaeda’s waist and arm raised to punch down on the defenseless man.

No, he wasn’t defenseless. Why wasn’t he fighting back, using his quirk? His hands were free, shielding his face from Hajime’s inevitable punch. He looked terrified, yet he wasn’t using his quirk against Hajime. Something about this broke him and he collapsed on top of Komaeda, enveloping him in his form. Komaeda accepted it, allowing his arms to fall to either side of his head once he realized he was no longer endangered. Hajime could hear him breathing heavily, the sound of his heartbeat practically reverberating off the walls of the silent corridor. That sound alone brought Hajime completely back from whatever haze Junko had induced. He choked back a sob as he felt his sense come back to him. What just happened? Was that….Junko’s quirk? Controlling people when they reach their lowest point?

“How romantic,” Junko said in a monotone voice, “You snapped out of it before the main event.”

“Hajime,” Komaeda said underneath him, his voice trembling. Hajime didn’t want to move, shame washing over him. He had almost beat Komaeda senseless and the only thing that stopped him was Komaeda calling out his name.

“Why?” Hajime managed to say.

“Hajime you need to leave,” Komaeda ignored his question. Hajime wasn’t hearing any of it. He finally managed to pull himself up, staring furiously at Komaeda. His long black hair draped on either side of them, acting almost as a curtain.

“Why?!” He repeated, veracity behind his voice, “Was it all fake? Did your students mean nothing to you? Our friendship?” Komaeda stared, wide-eyed and shocked from Hajime’s outburst. Then his eyes narrowed. He pressed his hands roughly to Hajime’s chest, pushing him away.

“Yes! Is that what you want to hear? I manipulated all of you and you let me!” Komaeda cried out, a horrid smile appearing. Hajime didn’t believe a word of it. But the words filled his body with an intoxicating rage. He grabbed Komaeda’s shoulders, bring him closer to him violently.

“You absolute asshole!” Hajime hissed, his face inches from Komaeda’s disgusting smile, “Do we really mean nothing to you?” He could see Komaeda’s facade falter. It was small but noticeable. He remained quiet however, staring at Hajime intently, awaiting his next move.

Komaeda wasn’t expecting Hajime to cry, however.

Hajime couldn’t help it. Wet tears spilled over his flushed cheek, anger still contorting his expression. He hated crying in front of people. It always made him feel like a weak little child who needed comforting. In all honesty, that's exactly how he felt right now, holding Komaeda inches from him in a hopeless front. The crying seemed to crack Komaeda’s facade, however. His smile fizzled into a blank look, lips apart in shock. Hajime tried to stop the tears, dropping his head to avoid Komaeda’s gaze.

“Why?” Hajime repeated quietly. It was all he could think to say. “I…” Komaeda started. He swallowed hard, unsure of what to even say, “Just please….get away from me. I’m not as strong as you, I can’t resist like that,” Komaeda explained. Junko stood, staring at the scene absentmindedly. Was she finding this entertaining? Probably.

“He’s right, he’s a pussy,” Junko said, leaning against the wall. This got Hajime moving. He stood up abruptly, his eyes narrowing at Junko. She smirked at this and began to check her nails as she continued, “He’s been doing my bidding for years. I’m surprised he betrayed me like this. He must have realllllly liked you,” her eyes flicked up to meet his, “And you must have liked him, I assume.” Hajime stood wordlessly, racking his brain for a useful quirk that would get them both out of this situation.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she sneered, “Such a shame he turned out to be your nemesis, right? He knew the whole time as well, thats the real kicker.” Hajime wasn’t falling for this. He knew if he let that feeling...that despair take over him, she would somehow be able to control him. That wasn’t happening again.

“You are disgusting,” Hajime said, taking a step forward, “A coward who uses others to do their dirty work.”

“Bingo,” she said with a smile, “Congrats on psychoanalyzing me correctly. Do you want a prize?” That was it. Hajime’s anger boiled over and he lept towards Junko. She smiled widely, accepting the challenge. Before either of them could reach each other however, Hajime was yanked back by his hair. He cried out, his head slamming into the tile violently.

“Servant! I knew you would come throu-” Junko started with outstretched arms, but was cut off by a wall of flames created by Komaeda. They roared and cackled, sounding similar to Junko’s own laugh. Hajime had never seen his power in full effect like that. He would be more scared if it wasn’t for the pounding ache in his head.

“What the hell?” He hissed sitting up.

“You never listen to me,” Komaeda hissed, turning to Hajime, “I told you to leave.”

“I’m not just abandoning you!” Hajime yelled.

“I know you’re not abandoning me!” Komaeda cried, flourishing his hands to either side of him, “I’m abandoning you! I’m done playing pretend. This is the real me and I’m utterly despicable.”

“Koma-”

“God dammit! What will make you just leave?” Komaeda was seething now. Hajime had never seen him so angry before. He held his head in his hands, tugging at his hair in a stressed manner, “I miss when you were just Izuru Kamakura,” Komaeda said, his voice small.

“...what?” Hajime said, hoping he hadn’t heard him right. Komaeda’s eyes widened slightly before they shifted to Hajime.

“It was a let down to meet Hajime Hinata. I thought you would be more….hero-like,” Komaeda said bluntly. Hajime was stunned. The words pierced him deeply. Hajime had never been very confident in himself but, he had hoped Komaeda wouldn’t see him in such a poor light.

“Theres a reason I paint Izuru Kamakura and not Hajime Hinata. I simply prefer him,” Komaeda continued, becoming more animated. He had a small smile but Hajime could only see sadness in his eyes. Hajime didn’t care, however. All he could think about was how he had to hurt Komaeda back.

“Well,” Hajime said through gritted teeth as he stood, “Trust me when I say I prefer neither version of you. Life would have been better if I had never met you or Ko.” Komaeda swallowed hard, struggling to keep up his happy facade. Hajime could see the tears glistening in his eyes. He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel guilty but truly didn’t care right now. That's what he told himself, at least. 

“G-Glad to know,” Komaeda said weakly, opting to smile at the ground.

“I hope it was worth it all,” Hajime said. At that, he abruptly turned on his heel and left the hall.

\----------

Watching Hajime leave was the most heartbreaking thing Komaeda had ever experienced. As soon as Hajime disappeared out of view, Komaeda collapsed against the wall, sinking to the ground as tears spilled over his eyes. Hajime’s words had stung but he knew he deserved it. It was childish to think he could live a happy life, one with Hajime in it. The flames had begun to die out, enough for Junko to see over them. She stood lazily, a hand on her hip and a pout.

“You let him go,” Junko said bluntly.

“Y-You can do whatever you want with me,” Komaeda said, “Just please, don’t hurt him.”

“You seem to have done that enough, haven’t you darling,” Junko said, her cheerful nature returning. Her smile was dark, sending a shiver down Komaeda’s spine. She continued, “But I will be punishing you. The entire mission has gone in the shitter thanks to you.” Komaeda seemed relieved at this, accepting his fate. He knew this would happen. It was inevitable.

That familiar feeling of despair washed over him, providing a nostalgic comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise next chapter will be so much better! Please don't hate me for this lol. We've got to hit the bottom before we can start out climb to to the top ;) See ya'll next Monday!


	8. Rooftops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovery time!

Hajime Hinata felt absolutely miserable. The past week felt like torture. He went through the motions but, his mind was constantly on his last interaction with Komaeda. Or Ko. No matter how much he didn’t like him currently, it was still difficult to refer to him as Ko.

His brain wasn’t ready to make that connection. All he knew was that he had never been so regretful of his own words. Life would have been better if I had never met you or Ko. He wished that statement held any truth. It would make things much easier on him.

In all honesty, Hajime had never missed a person so much. He would never admit it out loud but, he would give anything to just see Komaeda. Of course, there would be some choice words. But just knowing he was safe and okay would bring Hajime an immeasurable amount of joy. It felt pathetic.

Hajime tried to get on with his life. He continued teaching normally after the students had debriefed from the attack on the Sports Festival. The only major change was Komaeda’s absence. Hajime was questioned on it, since he was the last one to see him. He had the chance to out him as the traitor and instead, he chose to throw himself under the bus.

“Junko kidnapped him,” he said, words spilling out before he could catch them. Jin and Kyoko both wore the same frown, eyebrows laced with worry. Just from that expression alone, Hajime had was no doubt they were related.

“What happened?” Makoto questioned, his worry more expressive.

“I….Junko took advantage of Komaeda not having a quirk and knocked him out before I had a chance to get to them,” Hajime lied.

“She’ll probably use him for ransom,” Jin said, sighing and leaning back in his chair. Hajime could feel their disappointment radiating off of them. He felt ashamed. Because in truth, he had failed not only the Hero Agency, but Komaeda as well. Hajime had never loathed himself so much before. It was constant and nagging, never letting him have a chance to breathe. And he believed he deserved every second of it.

For the past week, the usually nightly routine consisted of Hajime curling up in his bed, watching old T.V. shows to help him ignore this nagging hatred of himself. It felt like he had been broken up with. The only thing he needed now was a pint of ice cream to shovel into his mouth.

“Hajime,” Chiaki called. He didn’t even hear his door open.

“Hm?” Hajime muttered as he rolled over in his bed.

“Want dinner?” She asked. She was obviously concerned. And she had every right to be. Hajime couldn’t remember the last time he had actually eaten a meal. He tended to forget about eating altogether when he got into a depressive episode.

“Could you just bring me a plate?” Hajime muttered, sliding his laptop on his lap.

“No,”

“What? Why?” Hajime asked, shocked from her blunt response.

“You need to get out of your room,” Chiaki huffed.

“I’m fine,” Hajime said, waving his hand in the air, “I’m just not feeling well.” There was a moment of silence before Chiaki spoke again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, tilting her head.

“Not really,” he murmured. She sighed at this before carefully closing his door again. Hajime hoped she would give in and bring him a plate. If not, he would rather just starve. He curled up in his bed again, unpausing his current show. The actors droned on about something that he wasn’t paying attention to. He was just mindlessly watching, allowing his brain to become static.

Until his phone rang.

He huffed and sat up again, pausing the show as he reached for his phone. Upon seeing the caller ID, he froze. Hero Agency. He wasn’t on call today, this had to be an emergency.

“Hello?” Hajime asked frantically.

“Izuru, I’m aware you’re not supposed to work this week but I believe you should be the one on this case.” It was Jin Kirigiri himself. Hajime was already out of bed, stumbling to the closet to get his suit.

“What is it?” Hajime asked as he swung the closet door open.

“Junko. She was spotted entering the old Grime building downtown with another person,” Jin said. That was all Hajime needed to know. He thanked Jin and informed him he would be there shortly before abruptly hanging up. He didn’t care what the situation was, he was going to make Junko regret ever considering targeting UA.

\----------

Hajime’s mouth felt dry, his hands clammy. This was not good in the slightest. He had searched every single floor of the abandoned building but found nothing but rubble and squatters. Now, all that was left was the roof.

He stood at the doorway that provided rooftop access, his hand hovering over the handle. In all honesty, he felt terrified. He knew he was in a weak position and Junko wouldn’t hesitate to hit below the belt. If he faced her, he wasn’t sure if he could keep control of himself.

But, he had to try, didn’t he?

Hajime took in a deep breath and finally turned the handle, shoving the door open. At first, he was alert, engaging a strength quirk just in case. But all that faced him was the starry night, stars twinkling down at him in a mocking manner. The night air felt cool against his flushed face, grounding him. The roof was empty. This was a trick. He sighed and groaned, placing a hand to his forehead. He could feel his heart beating with adrenaline still. So much for getting revenge, huh? Hajime debated just turning back but, the night was so welcoming on the desolate rooftop. Maybe he could clear his head some. He took a step forward, shutting the door behind him. Wind picked up his long hair, tossing it around gracefully. He had to admit, it was calming. However, as he made his way to the rooftop edge to get a better look of the city, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Immediately, he was on alert again. He jumped back, falling into a defensive stance. In the corner of where the ledges met, a crumpled figure stared back at him.

It was Ko, his mask unzipped and revealing the tousles of white hair. He was slumped over against the roof’s perimeter but still conscious, staring blankly at Hajime. “Komaeda,” Hajime said, as if affirming that was truly him. Komaeada’s blank stare came to life, his eyes widening and expression becoming alert. Even from the distance, he could see his bruised cheeks and bloodied nose.

“H-Hina-....Izuru??” He heard a weak voice ask. That was all Hajime needed. He didn’t even care that Komaeda had opted to use his hero name instead of Hajime. It didn’t matter. He rushed Komaeda, not quite sure what his plan was when he reached him.

Komaeda panicked, however, “W-Wait!” He shouted, holding his arms out meekly.

Scratch that.

Arm.

As in singular arm.

The other, or what was left of it, hung limply at his side. Everything below the elbow was completely missing, a half-assed tourniquet tied like a delicate bow on a christmas present. Hajime felt like he was going to be sick.

“What...what happened?” Hajime asked quietly. Komaeda looked off to the side.

“I…..I deserve it,” he muttered, “I thought she would kill me but, even she wouldn’t give me the mercy of death. She told me to either let myself get caught by the police or take a leap.” Hajime’s stomach sank. Sympathy overwhelmed whatever anger he had, diminishing it completely. He knelt down to Komaeda, getting eye level with him.

“You don’t deserve this,” he said. Komaeada shook his head, tears beginning to wash away the blood on his cheeks.

“I b-betrayed my friends...my students. I deserve this and worse,” he whimpered. He lifted his head to meet Hajime’s eyes, “I even betrayed you. I was selfish in hoping I could have you all to myself. For once, you admired me as much as I admire you and that felt too good to give up.”

“Ko, you did the right thing. You did your absolute best and-” _I still admire you. I’m proud of you._ That’s what he wanted to say before Komaeada interrupted him.

“Then I can die happy,” he said, forcing a smile. His voice was weak but tinged with happiness. A smile forced on his face. Hajime froze. Die? He watched in a dazed-like state as Komaeda lifted himself so he could sit on the roof’s border. The entire movement brought pain to Komaeda’s injured body. Hajime’s skin itched to move. He tried so hard to will himself to move. But, he only knelt there.

Hajime watched in silent horror as his grip on the ledge loosened, allowing his body to gently fall backwards. His face looked so calm and serene as it disappeared over the edge, betraying the seriousness of the situation at hand. Hajime reached out to Komaeda but it was useless. He was too far away and Komaeda had no interest in taking his hand.

For the second time that week, Hajime’s world came crashing down as he watched Komaeda fall. _No. No. No._ And in an instant, Komaeda was no longer there.

"Shit!” Hajime gasped, kicking his body into action. Without hesitation, he flung himself over the roof’s edge. Act now, think later. Wind whistled in his ears, tossing his long black hair in every direction. Below him, Komaeda fell peacefully, his eyes closed in a serene expression. Hajime’s survival instinct finally kicked in as he realized what he had just done. He quickly racked his brain for a power that could help him. Wings. As soon as the word passed his mind, he felt large-bird like wings erupt from his shoulder blades. His long tangles of hair fluttered in the wind as he tried his best to maneuver the new appendages. Soon enough, he was furiously flapping them to reach Komaeda, who was completely unaware of the situation happening above him.

The ground continued to approach with no mercy. Hajime could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he desperately tried to reach Komaeda. His fingers brushed against his jacket but, he just wasn’t close enough yet. With one more powerful flap, he overshot and collided with Komaeda in mid-air, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Komaeda yelped in pain, his good arm instinctively going to grip Hajime’s shoulder. Hajime spread the wings wide, causing them to halt their process of falling. In his arms, Komaeda’s body slumped against gravity and Hajime rushed to adjust his grip, keeping Komaeda pinned to him. Komaeda sucked air in through his teeth, pain radiating from different parts of his body. And then everything became quiet. The city lights were silent and steady, watching on as sleepy observers.

They were both frozen, Hajime with his arms supporting Komaeda and Komaeda practically hidden in his form. Then, Hajime buried his face in the crook of Komaeda’s neck, tears he wasn’t even aware of spilling over his cheeks. Komaeda just tried to kill himself and he had saved him. The reality set in. Hajime’s arms were wrapped so tightly around Komaeda, there was no way he was getting loose from his grip even if he wanted to. At that moment, Hajime didn’t care if Komaeda had betrayed them or how angry he was. All that mattered right now was that Komaeda remained safe. The two stayed like that for a while, hovering in the air and holding each other tightly. Finally, Komaeda spoke.

“W-Why?” His voice rasped, muffled from being buried in Hajime’s shoulder. Komaeda’s arm was wrapped tightly around Hajime’s neck, what was left of his other one hanging limply. He was desperate not to be let go again. He still had a will to live, at least. Hajime composed himself, adjusting his grip on Komaeda. Ignoring Komaeda’s question, he took them back up to the roof of the building. That was when it was Komaeda’s turn to start crying. Hajime carefully laid him down on the roof, making sure to keep him away from any of the edges just in case. Komaeda didn’t let go of him, however. He silently sobbed in Hajime’s shoulder, his grip tightening on his shirt. Soon enough, the sobs turned into cries of pain, both emotional and physical. Hajime stayed quiet, keeping his arms around Komaeda in an embrace.

“Why?! Why did you do that?!” He said, finally pulling his head away from Hajime’s chest. He looked both furious and devastated, tears now steady streams down his cheeks. Hajime didn’t care if Komaeda was angry. He was just happy to see the fire reignite in him, contrasting that lifeless version of him he had seen on the roof previously. “I’m not worth it! You should have just let me die! I’m going to create so many problems for you, more than I have!!” His face distorted into miserable expressions as he tried to gain an answer from Hajime, “I’m your enemy! I’m the villain! Why save me?!” Hajime’s emotions boiled over, he wasn’t sure if it was anger or sadness.

“Because I care about you!” He shouted, his grip tightening on Komaeda’s shoulders. Komaeda’s eyes widened at the outburst, then softened, a frown plaguing his lips.

“You idiot,” he murmured, “Heroes get the girl, not the villain.” They both paused at the sentiment, soaking in the words. Then, something surprising happened. A small smile made its way onto Komaeda’s face. It was the playful one Hajime had grown to love. The sight of it immediately melted Hajime. Nothing else in the world mattered anymore. Hajime brought Komaeda into a hug again, catching Komaeda off guard. Soon enough, he wrapped his arm around Hajime as well, accepting his fate of living.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is a bit short! I've been studying for midterms all week but I promise next weeks will be worth it! Hope y'all enjoyed!


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